CB Recommends: X-Men And Other June 3rd Weekend Releases

It’s round six of our all-new feature CB Recommends. That means we’ve lasted twice as long as Hagler and Hearns, but we’re barely a fourth of the way to equaling the James Bond canon. There’s still plenty of prosthelytizing to be done, but one weekend at a time. Thank God this weekend in question is a normal one. Memorial Day snuck up on me last time around, but I’ve already set an alarm on my phone for next year. Let’s hope this AT&T made piece of shit works another three hundred and sixty days.

Every year, noted scientists, box office forecasters and men of substance debate about exactly when the summer movie season officially starts. Estimates range from early-May to mid-June. Let’s just clear this up right now. Last week The Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 and Bridesmaids combined to make more than two hundred and fifty million dollars. This week, the newest X-Men is set to join them. Clearly, the summer movie season is already here, and that means most of what you’re about to see will be a hell of a lot bigger. Now if it could only just be better…

Here’s what Cinema Blend recommends for the week of June 3rd, 2011…

If you want to see the best movie, CB recommends...

…giving the X-Men franchise another chance. Like Lester Burnham said in American Beauty, “It’s never too late to get it back.” The Marvel property hit its apex eight years ago with Bryan Singer’s brilliant, vastly underrated X2. Then the Usual Suspects director bailed, Brett Ratner’s Last Stand disappointed, Wolverine wasted hours of people’s lives and the world was left to wonder whether this mess could be fixed. Turns out it can. Judging from the early reviews, X-Men: First Class is not only better than this recent shit, it’s a damn fine film compared to nearly anything. Our Managing Editor Katey Rich gave the blockbuster four stars, and Head Honcho Josh Tyler told me privately he may have even upped that rating to four-and-a-half. Go see it. Even if you’re not a big comic book person, there’s enough history and character development in there to make it worthwhile.

If you happen to live in a densely populated place, CB recommends...

…searching out Woody Allen’s latest Midnight In Paris. Katey may have given it four stars, but more impressively, my father actually liked it. This is the same curmudgeon who told me The King’s Speech was “passable”, True Grit “was better forty years ago” and The Blind Side was “some crap (my mom) made him sit through.” I don’t think I’ve heard him give a positive review to any film in at least five years, but he loved Midnight In Paris. He even told me it was “worth twenty-five dollars”. High praise. I’m not going to slap you in the common sense by telling you it’s the best movie in a half decade, but it is pretty damn good. Certainly, one of Allen’s best in a long time. See it and get excited about Owen Wilson again.

If you’re looking for a great indie, CB recommends...

…taking the plunge with Submarine. Richard Ayoade’s coming of age story follows a fifteen year old who can’t decide what’s more important: reuniting his parents or sleeping with the pyromaniac he’s been hanging out with. She’s a little out there, perhaps more worldly than young Oliver and certainly less interested, but a boy can’t choose the girl he gets a crush on. Nor can he choose who his mother gets a crush on, but with some forged letters and sneaky behavior, he can certainly try and change both women’s minds. Katey called it more than just a Welsh Rushmore in her glowing review, and I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing.

If you’d rather sit on the couch, CB recommends...

…having some fun with Nicolas Cage in Drive Angry. Look: anyone who had a problem with Drive Angry was in completely the wrong frame of mind to see that movie or shouldn’t have been seeing it to begin with. Like Piranha 3D, you should know exactly what you’re getting into with a film like this. If you’re not in the mood for a stupid, loud vehicle of debauchery complete with f-bombs, tits and Satanic nonsense, you shouldn’t pay money for a film about a man escaping from hell to retrieve a baby earmarked for ritual murder.

I just watched the trailer for Zookeeper. I hate it when movies have animals actually mouth the words. Why can’t it just be like a telepathic thing? That’s way less creepy. What do you think is the best animals talking movie ever?

Nick from Bloomington

It’s way worse in live action movies. I can handle it in animation, which is why I’d probably go with 101 Dalmatians for my favorite. Cruella de Vil is the best Disney villain ever. Everything about her is truly repulsive. She’s definitely a product of the old school when people weren’t concerned about making villains sympathetic.